Time to get back into the flow of “Jayhawk Flashbacks,” taking a look back at some of the most memorable moments of KU’s past.

The following game is the second-loudest I’ve ever heard it at Allen Fieldhouse in person: KU’s 81-74 victory over Michigan State on Nov. 25, 2003.

The highlights of the game are below.

Some thoughts:

• We have to start with the J.R. Giddens consecutive dunks.

Following the second dunk was the second-loudest I’d ever heard it in the Fieldhouse*.

* — The loudest I’ve heard in the Fieldhouse, if you’re wondering, was this game after Keith Langford’s alley-oop (45-second mark of video) put KU ahead of No. 1 Arizona, 44-24, in the first half. KU went on to lose the game, 91-74, before defeating Arizona in the Elite Eight later in the season.

Here was the amazing part for me, and you can hear it a little better in the video below.

The KU fans go nuts after Giddens’ alley-oop jam, then the noise rises from there. Then, after Giddens’ steal, it grows even louder.

But right before he dunks it — just as he’s rising to the rim — a crazy thing happens: The Fieldhouse goes silent.

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It was almost as if 16,300 were holding their breath to see just exactly what Giddens was going to do next.

After his dunk, the roar was nearly deafening. And Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale give a great call in the ESPN broadcast below as well.

• By the way, there are some great reactions to Giddens’ dunks on here.

For one, check out KU assistant coach Joe Dooley’s reaction at the 1:37 mark.

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Pretty funny stuff.

Another good reaction to a Giddens dunk comes from the KU ball boy underneath the basket. Check out this photo.

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You can also see him jumping up and down at the 18-second mark of the video under the basket.

• Is this a highlight tape for Wayne Simien or what?

I think sometimes I forget just how dominant he was when healthy.

Simien had a career-high 28 points in 38 minutes against the Spartans.

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I’m sure it’s games like this that Self is talking about when he says that Simien was the best college player he’s ever coached.

By the way, Self said this after the game about Simien: “He was as good as any player in America tonight.”

The LJW’s Chuck Woodling was impressed with Simien as well.

• Does the crowd seem especially loud in this game to you as well?

The KU coaches were impressed, for sure.

Said Self afterwards: “That’s probably as much fun as I’ve had in coaching. It was a fun night, the best atmosphere I’ve been a part of.”

And here is former assistant Norm Roberts talking about the atmosphere: “I would rank it as the best so far I’ve experienced as far as atmosphere, energy and support. It’s the loudest arena I’ve been in. The great thing is the knowledge of the fans, when to yell, get loud, bring it up and tone it down. It’s awesome. What the loudness does is brings energy. It brings so much energy it’s hard to communicate with the players.”

• It’s also hard to not realize that KU was dunking like crazy against the Spartans in this game.

Maybe it’s just me, but last year, KU didn’t seem to dunk or convert alley-oops as often as Self teams of the past. I’m not sure if there’s an explanation for that or not.

• Watching this makes me appreciate the new rule that has KU players wait five years to come back before getting their jersey retired.

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Nick Collison was going to the rafters no matter how you slice it, but he still looks like a college kid in this video. I’m sure a ceremony would have meant more to him had he come back a few years later after being able to reflect a bit more on his KU career.

• Wow, Keith Langford had some crazy ups this game.

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I can’t think of anyone in KU’s recent history that was better at getting by his defender on a baseline drive than Langford.

• MSU coach Tom Izzo, meanwhile, was most upset about his team’s 24 turnovers. KU scored 34 points off those 24 giveaways.

• Pretty good stat line for Aaron Miles this game. Try 17 points on 5-for-11 shooting to go with six assists and seven steals. He did have six turnovers, though.

• Funny to think this was only the second regular-season game for coach Bill Self at KU.

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Actually, six and a half years later, Self doesn’t appear to have aged much at all.

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